Honduras Tourism

Fabled beaches and coasts, the eclectic Mayan ruins and the enigmatic wildlife greet you in Honduras, a popular tourist magnet in Central America. With Guatemala to its west, El Salvador to its southwest, Honduras is bordered by the Gulf of Fonseca (Pacific Ocean) on its south and the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean Sea) on its north. The country was also referred to as the Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from the British Honduras (which went onto be refereed as the country, Belize).

Literally meaning ‘depths’ in Spanish, Honduras was part of the Mesoamerican area which saw the rise of the famous Mayan civilisation. In 1502, Christopher Columbus became the first European to visit the Bay Islands. It is popular for being a home to several Mesopotamian civilisations, especially the Mayan culture. The country was conquered by Spain in 16th century and was referred to as a ‘Kingdom of Guatemala’. It eventually attained independence in 1821 but was ravaged by internal strife and civil war for years which led to change in the governments over time. A Presidential Republic was established after much hue and cry in 2009.

The official language of Honduras is Spanish while Garifuna and Misikito are the other languages spoken by the locals. The Hondurans are mostly Roman Catholics while others are evangelical Protestants. The population of the country is over 8.2 million which includes ethnicities like Mestizo (combined European and Native American descent) and Amerindian (indigenous Americans).

Considered a biodiversity hotspot, Honduras is home to about 6,000 species of plants and over 1,000 species of reptiles and amphibians. The Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, a lowland rainforest, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982. The country has droves of rain forests, savannahs and mountains with pine and oak trees. Minerals, coffee, sugarcane and other tropical fruits are the chief exports of the country.

The extraordinary Bay islands is a party hotspot while the terrific Mayan ruins of the Copan area are a treat for the tourists. The wildlife jungle reserves and the natural parks also attract several visitors to this country. Famous for its adventure sports, Honduras rivals Costa Rica in luring the tourists to this part of the world.

Fabled beaches and coasts, the eclectic Mayan ruins and the enigmatic wildlife greet you in Honduras, a popular tourist magnet in Central America. With Guatemala to its ...